


Wilder Than the Wind

by Blue_Five



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Infant drug addiction, M/M, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2018-04-25 01:52:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4942078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Five/pseuds/Blue_Five
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Years can separate hearts but souls never forget.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Happy Birthday

She’d been turned by the rogue alpha against her will when he raped her. It wasn’t until she was puking her guts out a month later that she discovered he’d also impregnated her. Eight months after that, she lay in an ER in New York bleeding away her life as four lifeless pups were taken from her womb. The fifth pup was alive but barely. The small golden-furred fuzz ball was born completely addicted to the wolfsbane-infused opioid his mother used to ‘cope’. He whined and cried helplessly as his newborn senses drowned in a sudden flood of sensory stimulation.

Fourteen minutes after his separation from his mother, the pup was an orphan. A day after that, he went into severe opioid withdrawal. The nursing staff named him James Michael.

Neonatal withdrawal was a sad occurrence whether the infant was human or werewolf. With weres, however, the sensations were all heightened. Few survived it. Mike might have been one of the statistics but a young werewolf by the name of Harvey Specter was at the hospital when Mike suffered a seizure.

Harvey’s mother was recovering from the particularly difficult birth of his younger brother, Marcus. Marcus lay in the NICU, bundled up in an incubator, sleeping peacefully for the first time in a day or so. Harvey stood at the window, just looking at him. He was little and still in his puppy form. It didn’t seem possible that he would ever grow into a full-grown person, but Harvey knew he would and he was actually very excited about being a big brother. Harvey could hear Marcus’ heartbeat going steadily and it made him smile.

Another sound intruded on his observations and Harvey moved to another window along the same wall, but on a different room. It was dark in the room, but he could hear the labored breathing of a small being. The heartbeat was insanely fast – Harvey winced as he listened because he knew it didn’t sound _right_. He turned to walk away but alarms began to beep and whatever lay inside the dark room began to emit whimpers and tiny yips. Harvey darted inside the room, uncertain of why but unable to ignore the cries of pain from something so small.

When he actually _saw_ Mike, his breath stuttered in his chest. Harvey was a proud seven years old, so _not_ a baby, but looking at the miniscule ball of fur lying half-hidden in a nest of cables and tubes made him want to cry. Harvey heard someone behind him but he didn’t care. He’d seen his mother reach into Marcus’ incubator and he did the same, standing on tip-toe to reach.

The moment his small fingers slid into the soft fuzz, Harvey sucked in a sharp breath. He felt the tremors wracking the tiny frame and he let out a soft growl that ended as more of a whine. He jumped when a hand gently came to rest on his shoulder. Harvey looked up into the concerned face of the nurse who’d been helping his mother. _I’m Edith but you can call me Edie_ , his memory supplied.

“Sweetie? Do you want to hold him?” she asked.

Harvey’s eyes were wide as he whispered, “Can I?”

Edie nodded. “You have to be very, very careful. Can you do that?”

Harvey’s head bobbed enthusiastically. He couldn’t explain it but he knew he had to hold the small pup … had to let him know he was loved and safe. Harvey hated baths on the best of days but he submitted to a rigorous scrubbing of his hands, arms and face. An oversized cloth gown was tied around his neck and he sat in a plush recliner in one corner of the dark room. Edie maneuvered everything and lifted the small form from his nest into a sling designed to hold the pup against Harvey’s chest near his heart. He instantly leaned over the diminutive wolf and inhaled. He huffed in confusion as a miasma of conflicting scents hit him.

“Why does he smell so weird?” The pup jerked and whined as if in pain and Harvey froze looking at Edie with a stricken expression.

Edie motioned for him to talk softer and then helped him recline with the pup resting on Harvey’s chest. When the squirming stopped, she sighed softly. “His mom was very sick. She took a lot of drugs while he was still growing inside her and he was born addicted to those drugs just like she was. You know how you can hear me now even though I’m whispering?”

Harvey nodded, his index finger lightly drifting over the soft fur.

“Well, he hears me too but it’s like I’m shouting. His body is too small to expel the drugs just yet so we’re cleaning his blood for him. Until then, he’s very sensitive to everything,” Edie murmured

“What’s his name?”

“Mike.”

Harvey smiled and looked at the miniature wolf in his arms. Mike barely weighed anything. His muzzle was hardly longer than Harvey’s little fingers but the black nose twitched and wiggled along with ears so small it was hard to find them amidst the golden fluff. Harvey ran a fingertip along the pad of one itty-bitty paw and bit his lip when the toes stretched in response. Translucent claws extended and then retracted. He wished he could see the wolfling’s eyes but those wouldn’t open for weeks yet. Harvey imagined them to be blue like the sky.

“Hi, Mike. I’m Harvey. Happy late birthday but you’re safe now. It’s gonna be ok, I promise. You just be strong.”

The wolf in his arms gave a full-body tremble and Harvey felt his stomach lurch. Then Mike licked the finger softly stroking his paw before slumping against Harvey’s chest. Harvey looked at Edie, afraid the little pup was dead but she just smiled and tapped her ear. The young boy frowned and then a bigger smile crept across his face as he heard Mike’s heartbeat slow to a still fast but more normal rhythm. His breathing was steady and not so labored. Harvey felt warmth like nothing he’d ever known – except maybe when his mom or dad held him. When he left, he brushed his lips across a small ear and breathed, “Be brave, Mikey. I’ll be back.”

* * *

Unfortunately, Harvey’s mother was anything but pleased to hear he’d spent his afternoon holding the bastard offspring of a _bitten, unmated_ _she-wolf_. Edie the nurse caught the full brunt of Lily Specter’s wrath and Harvey’s protestations and tears fell on deaf ears. His father, Gordon, took Harvey home but had to hunt him down three times when the boy tried to make his way back to the hospital. Then Lily came home with Marcus.

Once he saw his little brother, Harvey’s pain over leaving Mike behind faded a little. The cares and passions of seven-year olds are fast and fleeting. Harvey didn’t mean to consciously forget about Mike, but he had his own brother to care about. By Marcus’ first birthday Harvey only thought of Mike when he caught a sickly-sweet odor that reminded him of wolfsbane. His dreams of the little wolf came often at first but the years faded them until Harvey could barely remember more than an impression of fuzz and fragility. Harvey didn’t think of James Michael at all during college. He’d completely forgotten about the tiny werewolf he’d once cradled against his heart and told to be brave.


	2. Deja Vu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wherein we see the Specter brothers and someone from the past appears.

Harvey stepped out into the restaurant’s alley, rolling his neck, breathing deeply and fighting to keep his wolf under control. He failed when a hand landed on his shoulder. Spinning around, Harvey snarled, half-shifted into his beta form. Marcus took a step back, hands held out to his sides, palms out. He tilted his head to the side, exposing his neck to show submission.

“Whoa there, big bro,” he placated. “Just me.”

Harvey turned away and took three deep breaths, forcing his lupine instincts to heel. His hands, human again, ran through his hair, smoothing it back into place. “She’s got no right, Marcus,” Harvey growled, his voice still rough.

Marcus sighed. Lily Specter rarely got along with her eldest son on the best of days. While Harvey did his best to keep his younger brother out of the battlefield, days like today were bound to happen. Especially when Harvey was convinced he held a winning hand only to be trumped. In this case, Lily had denied Harvey’s formal request for the Specter signet ring to allow Harvey to mate and form his own pack.

“What, no reasonable rebuttal?” Harvey asked.

Marcus sighed. “Dude, you know how mom is … she’s never liked Scotty since that little scare you two had in school. Give her time to see that you two are serious. Scotty’s just her type – she’ll come around.”

“Her ‘type’? What the hell is that supposed to mean? And don’t call me ‘dude’,” Harvey frowned.

“It means,” Marcus said, clapping Harvey on the shoulder. “That Scotty has a pedigree going back practically to the First Howl. Mom just can’t resist making you twist in the wind until she finally decides to cut you down.”

Harvey snorted. “Her pedigree isn’t why I’m with Scotty, Marcus.”

“I know that, but this is dear old mom. Remember that human you liked so much … what was her name?”

“Zoe and mom doesn’t dictate who I can date, Marcus,” Harvey replied firmly.

Marcus made a non-committal sound and Harvey’s hackles went up. His younger brother tapped in the lock code for his restaurant’s backdoor and held it open for Harvey. “Let it go, Harvey. I’ll call mom’s driver and then you and me can have dinner.”

“No.”

Marcus sighed. “Harvey –“

“Elaborate about what you mean by that little noise, Marcus. Do _you_ think I let mom run my life?”

Sardonic laughter echoed off the bricks. Marcus rolled his eyes and looked at his big brother.

“Harvey, you can hate the woman all you want … she’s still our mother and she still holds the right to that ring. And unless you plan on breaking pack bonds and striking out on your own, which I doubt, you’ll play mom’s little power games. She made me wait for how long before coming through on that loan for this place? In the end, do you really give a shit as long as she gives you the ring?” Marcus asked. “Now come on. Let’s get her gone and we can eat … I was going to recommend the steak.”

“You always recommend the steak.”

“Because you never want to eat anything else, Mr. High-Powered-Attorney.”

Harvey snorted. “Not like I’m going to get clogged arteries, why eat fish?”

“Heathen.”

Chuckling, Harvey followed Marcus back into the building. He sat in the kitchen watching the staff while sipping a glass of wine. His reflection in the glass door to one of the coolers peered at him. His suit could probably pay the restaurant’s invoices for two months and his haircut was five bills a visit to maintain. Harvey worked hard to be the epitome of the term ‘alpha wolf’. His lineage was traceable back to the old New York wolf packs and he’d been featured in the _Times_ on occasion with Marcus for various life milestones along with all their contemporaries in the city, werewolf or human. Harvey was, like his mother, an old hand at navigating New York society.

Once upon a time he’d considered leaving it behind for a lovely girl named Zoe. She’d been a summer love affair and her family was hardly riff-raff. What they were, however, was full human with not a drop of wolfen blood in their blue veins.

Harvey finished off his wine remembering the shattered look on Zoe’s face when he’d broken it off. He frowned, swirling the dregs in his glass. It was no easy thing for a wolf to turn his back on family or pack. Lily Specter had made it all too clear she would not support a ‘blended’ match nor Harvey’s bid to form his own pack under the Specter name. And since she was the widowed mate of Gordon Specter and holder of the line’s signet ring, Harvey had little choice but to acquiesce or give up his rank and strike out on his own without the name he’d carried his entire life. Marcus was right about Scotty – she was full-blood. Lily was just being a bitch because once Harvey took his place as alpha of his own pack she wouldn’t be able to overrule him on anything. He’d have his own right to sit at Council. The thought settled him. He could wait.

“Ready, bro? Mom’s gone. I expect that your phone is going to blow up any minute now,” Marcus said with a grin.

Harvey pulled out his mobile and switched it to silent. “Sorry, mom … didn’t hear the phone ring.”

Marcus laughed and they made their way to the table near the back reserved for Marcus’ special guests. His little brother laughed at the sinful moan Harvey gave when he bit into his steak.

“Easy, brother … don’t want people to get the wrong idea about us,” Marcus teased.

Harvey waved his hand unconcernedly. “Who gives a shit what they think? This is heaven. Honestly, you should have been a steakhouse. Just steak.”

“I do have human patrons, Harvey. They tend to want variety, not just slabs of barely cooked meat. Werewolves,” Marcus moaned.

* * *

Walking out to his waiting car, Harvey checked his email. He pulled up short as a bike messenger jogged past him, ride over one shoulder. Their eyes met and Harvey caught a faint scent on the wind – a sickly-sweet smell that triggered a sudden image of tiny blonde ball of fuzz lying against his chest, fighting to stay alive. The pale blue eyes slid past him with no recognition and he shivered at the muttered, “’scuse me, dude.”

He watched the young man walk into the office building. He inhaled deeply, trying to determine if he had the correct source of the scent. It was already fading on the wind and Harvey frowned, uncertain of what to do – a feeling he loathed. He walked to his car and told Ray to park somewhere, he had to take care of something. His driver nodded without hesitation and pulled back into traffic. Harvey crossed his arms and waited.

A short minute later, the messenger exited the building. He tapped on his phone before securing it in an armband sleeve and sliding his headphones into place. He swung a leg over his bike and was about to pedal off when Harvey gripped the handlebars. The biker yelped and jerked his headphones down.

“What the _hell_ , dude?”

Harvey held up one hand. “Hold up for a second, I want to talk to you.”

“Fuck that, guy, I’ve got a –“

“Is your employer wolf or human?”

The messenger warily eyed Harvey. “Wolf, why?”

“Are you part of his pack?”

“No, I’m not affiliated with a pack – wait, what the fuck _is_ all this?”

Harvey handed over his phone. “Call him and let me talk.”

The young were stared at Harvey like he’d grown another head. “Dude, I don’t even _know_ you.”

“My name’s Harvey Spe—uh, kid? Are you ok?”

Light blue eyes widened and the sun-freckled nose flared for a moment before the messenger was on his bike, pumping strong legs. Harvey watched him barely miss getting hit by a taxi and winced as he somehow threaded between two trucks before disappearing from sight. He growled under his breath, making a few passerby give him a wide berth.

“Wanna do this the hard way, kid? I’m game,” Harvey muttered, dialing his assistant. “Donna, I need to know which of the bike courier companies has a contract with –“ Harvey glanced up at the building. “Sidwell Financial. I don’t know … do what you do, just get me that information.”

Harvey called his driver and went home. His phone rang late that night.

“Did you find it? Good … do they have anyone named Mike or Michael working for them? No, I doubt he’s a Gutierrez, let’s go with Ross. Get me his home address. Yes, I know what time it is.” Harvey sighed. “Yes, I suppose it has been a while since we visited Hermès. Good night, Donna.”

Harvey smiled when his phone buzzed an hour later. He owed Donna two handbags this time.


	3. To Pieces

Mike Ross rode straight back to the dispatch barn and clocked out despite the snarled protest from his boss. He growled back, his temper frayed thin. The wolf looked at him and waved him off. Mike knew he would pay for the disrespect but at the moment he didn’t care. He was still the fastest rider in the entire fleet and he willingly worked odd hours when asked. He’d be forgiven.

The streetlights were just coming on as he pushed in his earbuds and began his trip home. The music began to play and Mike felt as though his body was sinking into thick dark water. His wolf instincts slowly rose to the surface as the strains of classical music flowed into his ears and pushed aside the chaotic noise of the city, replacing it with ordered notes. Mike saw the staves rolling out on the pavement in front of him with the notes popping up like strange flowers as the piece played. Mike paid little conscious attention to the traffic around him. His brain had already mapped his path – it saw the way the cars moved, sped up and slowed down before moving him into an opening or out of a space that was suddenly too small. Mike loved riding in the city – his brain was fully engaged and focused. If it wasn’t music, he listened to unabridged audio recordings of every book he could find. Anything to keep his mind working on specific tasks … free time meant random thoughts and memories which were never good.

Dark brown eyes floated in front of him and Mike wobbled on his bike, nearly drifting in front of a truck that erupted in a single loud horn blast. Mike flipped the driver off before darting in front of the vehicle. He heard the screech of brakes and the resultant crumpling of metal. He grinned to himself as he slipped between the lanes and away before anyone really had a chance to register what had just happened. A few side streets later and Mike was in front of his building. With the grace of practice, Mike leapt off his bike, threw it over one shoulder and jogged up three flights to his apartment. Without the threat and danger of New York traffic, Mike’s brain was already beginning to spin.

He fumbled his keys twice before finally getting the locks open. He winced when the door shutting sounded like a granite slab crashing down on a metal floor. Everything was suddenly _too much_ – he dropped his bike, ignoring the thumping from the apartment below. He pulled off his helmet and tossed it into a corner while toeing off his shoes. Mike’s hands trembled as he pulled off shirt and shorts. A soft whine began in the back of his throat as his senses struggled with so much input. He stalked naked into his bathroom. He pulled his eyelids sideways, popping out the colored lenses he wore to cover up his hazel-green eye and match the blue. He managed to get the lenses in the case with solution but just barely. Mike went back out and dug through his clothes to find his phone and earbuds before crawling into sheets that probably needed washing and pulled a quilt that _definitely_ needed washing over his legs. He selected his heavy metal playlist and let the screaming guitars echo his thoughts. Mike fell into the music’s rhythm. He wanted to forget the dark eyes and the voice from earlier.

Unfortunately, his brain wasn’t wired to forget anything. Mike whimpered and whined softly as he fought against his oldest recall – the hospital and a warm body that had cradled his for far too brief a time.

 _“_ _Hi, Mike. I_ _’_ _m Harvey. Happy late birthday but you_ _’_ _re safe now. It_ _’_ _s gonna be ok, I promise. You just be strong._ _”_

A loud, strong heartbeat pounded in Mike’s head – a sound he’d dreamed about and prayed for so many times growing up. It was like –

“Kid, I know you’re in there so you might as well open the damn door.”

Mike jerked his earbuds free and stared in wide-eyed terror at the door. He looked at his phone – he’d been out of it for hours. It was early morning now and the voice on the other side of the door was exactly what he didn’t want to hear. He heard the pounding on the door again but then Mike caught the rhythm of a heartbeat. Stronger, louder but no less familiar for it – the heartbeat he’d carried in his brain for years.

 _Harvey_ …

Suddenly, Mike couldn’t imagine anything worse than the one person he’d longed for almost since birth seeing him like this – a loser bike courier who shot up with a variation of the dope that had killed his own mother. He hesitated briefly before rolling over and grabbing his kit. He dropped the foul-smelling tar onto the spoon and flicked his lighter desperately. The pounding stopped and a low, feral growl came through the door. Mike’s hands trembled as he prayed the doorjamb would hold long enough for him to get his hit … to escape …

“Michael … Mikey, _don_ _’t_!” A shout through the door.

 _“Be brave, Mikey. I_ _’ll be back._ _”_

Mike shook his head and dipped his needle into the still bubbling mess. He drew back enough to kill three humans knowing it would only suffice to get him high. He sobbed as he jammed the plunger down.

“You never came back … never … came …”

Harvey slammed the door to Mike’s apartment open as the wolf’s voice slurred off into oblivion. He stared, chest heaving, at the too thin body covered by filthy bedclothes with a syringe still lodged in his arm. Mike’s eyes were rolled back in his head and his body jerked with the false euphoria provided by whatever junk he’d just injected into his veins. Soft growls and yips escaped the trembling body even as Harvey sat down beside Mike. It reminded him all to clearly of the tiny ball of fuzz he’d held in the hospital. He could smell the drug in the kid’s body and knew that was why his scent was so off. Harvey slid the needle loose and dropped it back in the tin that held a flame blackened spoon and some god-awful substance that looked like melted tar. He released the tourniquet and went to close the apartment door. One of the braver residents stood there with a baseball bat.

“I’m callin’ the cops, dude! What the hell are you --?”

Harvey said nothing, he simply growled. His eyes bled red and he knew the human standing across from him was anything but brave. The man fled, terrified. Harvey closed the door. He ran a hand through his hair, fighting to calm himself down. Mike’s scent was making him feel a little unhinged. He moved back to the bed and eased Mike down onto the bed and sat beside him. He carded his fingers into Mike’s hair and felt the tension leak out of the body beside him. Mike snuffled against Harvey’s thigh, scenting even in his compromised state. Harvey heard the rapid heartbeat slow alarmingly. Taking out his phone, Harvey frantically dialed his brother. A sleepy growl answered.

“Marcus … oh gods …”

“Harvey … Harvey, what’s wrong? Are you ok?” Marcus’ voice was sharper now.

Harvey swallowed hard, shaking Mike and getting an irritable groan from him. The heartbeat sped up slightly.

“I’ve got a … friend … who needs help. I’m at his place now … he just shot up ... I don’t know what he took but his heart sounded like it was going to crack ribs. Now it’s barely beating.”

“Looks like road tar?”

Harvey exhaled, thanking whatever deity was watching that his little brother knew his drugs. “Yes … it smells like … well, I don’t know what but it’s pretty disgusting.”

“That’s the wolfsbane … sounds like heroin. Make sure he’s breathing, Harvey and get him to the hospital. He’s already dropping … everything is slowing down in his system. Who the hell is this friend?”

Harvey mumbled something and promised to call his brother back. He dialed 911 and gave the address before softly begging them to hurry. He gathered the young werewolf against him, instinct telling him to talk to Mike. Emotions no one who knew Harvey had ever seen spilled out in a gush of pleas. Harvey didn't understand where the emotion came from, but he knew he couldn't ignore it. Not now. His hand stroked the pale cheek.

“Please, cub … please wake up. Come on … don’t you dare check out on me now, kid. Don’t you dare. Please cub …”

Mike drifted in the white noise static of his own mind while the drug coursed through his system. He recognized the voice talking to him and the smell … the lovely scent of the werewolf he’s dreamt of all his life. Sadness overwhelmed him and Mike wondered if he cried a little … it’s so hard to be brave for this man. He tried so hard for so long but everything is too big and it’s just easier this way. Better for everyone.  

“Please don’t leave me cub … damn it, I just found you. Don’t go, baby. Please stay with me. Please, sweetheart. Please.”

Mike opened his eyes in shock.


End file.
